Guess what time it is again?
It's the dreaded FCAT time!
These are the Florida standardized tests that our kids here have to take in varying grades, and their answers, their grades on these tests, determine whether or not they will move on up to the next grade level.
We've had third graders in this state stay back 2-3 times because they failed the FCAT.
Most of our students year is spent studying, preparing for this stupid test.
The teachers are pushed by the schools to get as many kids as possible able to pass this test because guess what happens if each individual school gets the most passing students?
Money!
Yes! The school gets money for getting kids to pass the FCAT and what do our students get?
They get to go through life not knowing basic things like history and science because they spent the whole first half of the year doing remedial work that will help them pass the FCAT.
Yes, I'm totally spamming that word because I know others are out there searching for information on it.
As a parent, this stupid test pisses me off. I can't stand it.
I sit here at night watching the news with my kids and some very famous world leader is being talked about, and they have absolutely no clue who it is.
Kim Jong-il? No clue who he was until I said "You know, that little Korean dictator they made fun of in Team America."
"Oh, that guy. Why are they talking about him?"
When Ronald Reagan died, they had no clue that he was a president.
Mark is in 10th grade, Sebastian in 8th, and they had zero clue who these people are.
They know nothing about American history, our history. They only know where the war in Iraq is because the news uses maps all the time. They really didn't even know who Saddam was.
This shit pisses me off.
Why are our students not being taught these things and many other subjects?
When I was in 6th grade, we studied world leaders and presidents. By 10th grade, we were studying a class called Problems of Democracy where we were taught every single day, about the goings on in the rest of the world, and we had quizzes on leaders and history, and we were told to watch the nightly news on channel whatever, because our teacher was going to quiz us.
I complain every single year about the FCAT even though I know my boys will pass the stupid thing.
I'm proud of them for doing so well on it. I mean, how could they not pass it?
They study all damn year for it.
FCAT
Comments
I loathe the FCAT too. The 4th grader is taking it in writing this week and because of that has no homework in any other classes, no spelling words, math, nothing! I think it's ridiculous to spend the school year preparing for a standardized test.
Posted by: Chickie | February 7, 2007 4:09 PM
Isn't it?!
I hate it so fucking much! The boys have no homework either and they are in high school. Not to mention the letters that have come home stating what kinds of meals I should be preparing this week to help them have better memory capacity and telling me what time they should go to bed.
Hello? Who is the parent here?
Posted by: kat | February 7, 2007 4:17 PM
Yea it was the same thing in VA with their SOLs. Study most of the year for what's going to be on the test and screw everything else. Not only do our kids get a crappy half-assed education, I don't believe the test scores accurately reflect what these kids really know.
Posted by: Kelly | February 7, 2007 5:31 PM
I have never agreed with the standardized testing. There are some kids that are doomed to fail because certain things have not been taught. Last year my son, who was in 9th grade, told me that in the math portion there was Geometry and he pretty muched guessed because he wasn't even taught it yet.
Posted by: Mindy | February 7, 2007 11:07 PM
It never fails to amaze me how the tests that determine our children's performance, school officials don't give a shit, and it's totally up to the parents anc children. Yet when it comes to tests that judge a school's worth, they give the kids more than ample time, let them have fun snacks, and do everything they can to make sure those kids score well on those tests.
Posted by: Belle | February 7, 2007 11:13 PM
It is so sad that kids are not being taught enough relevant information these days. One of my kids thought Chicago was a state. They know nothing about WWII. I could go on and on. And ours is supposed to be one of the best public school systems in the nation. Yeah, right.
Posted by: Brandi | February 8, 2007 9:49 AM